Anya anew - The creative entrepreneur charts a new path

Anya and her family: husband Wyatt and son Kairi. Photo by Yaisa Tangwell
Anya and her family: husband Wyatt and son Kairi. Photo by Yaisa Tangwell

KIERAN ANDREW KHAN

When we last spoke with Anya Ayoung-Chee in March 2012, she was adjusting to the demands and plans that resulted from her Project Runway double win of both fan favourite and show winner and was engaged to long-time partner Wyatt Gallery, with a wedding planned for the following year. Life, of course, has its way and few things went according to plan. It was, however, in those changes, that a new Anya was to be found – this story is about her.

“Wyatt and I did finally get married and it’s quite a story. It’s just wonderful to be in a partnership that is so rich and deep and wonderful in its own sense,” she began with, noting the on-and-off dynamic between the couple that had to be played out in the public eye. They opted for a small and intimate beach-side ceremony a few years later than planned.

“We went through all the stages of a relationship – the joy, the painful parts too and we came out the other side and today, this is the result – our family,” she highlighted, pausing to check on her first-born son, Kairi, during the interview.

Anya and Kairi. Photo by
Yaisa Tangwell

“Kairi is just wonderful; motherhood is simply like nothing I could ever imagine. It’s changed and challenged me in ways that I could not expect. It’s also pushed me to new limits within myself, compounded by the fact that I’m an entrepreneur and that alone requires so much of your mind and your focus. I really wonder, how do other women do this?” she added wistfully.

While we often speak of brands being reborn and relaunched and personalities are increasingly becoming brands in their own right, this is a far different Anya – a fundamentally changed person. “When Project Runway ended, I got caught up in this world of fashion and it was demanding to have to suddenly conform to this global market – with its seasons and production demands. It was far beyond what I was used to here and let’s face it, I still attest to the fact that I am not the best at sewing. In fact, my aesthetic itself came about as a result of working within the limitations of what I knew at the time – so I became known for long, flowing, tropical pieces which were a signature look and in demand, but even those weren’t reflective of the aesthetic I wanted to share with the world,” Ayoung-Chee said.

She’s unreservedly and refreshingly honest about her craft, her work and her life, “I wanted to return to the things that I knew – so recently I’ve been happy to get back to the things that are more true to who I am – limited-edition pieces versus mass production for instance. And I have always maintained that I want to produce in Trinidad. Maybe not source all the fabrics here as that can be a challenge – but definitely to produce here,” she noted.

Anya Ayoung Chee is writing a new chapter in her life. Photo by Yaisa Tangwell

She’s also looked to leverage on her global brand appeal as a means of collaborating with other local designers as she detailed, “Keisha Als and I have worked together in the past but this year for cANYAval, we have formed a more formal alliance. I knew when I started with Monday wear in 2013 that it was perhaps a little ahead of its time but now the market has simply exploded and that’s fantastic in its own way.

“Fashion for Carnival is becoming much more than the days on the road but now includes the boat-rides, the all-inclusives and cooler fetes in a way that it didn’t before. Plus the market is growing as our brand of Trini Carnival is growing even more across the islands and Miami, Nottinghill etc. So this relaunch of cANYAval is really more about leveraging my platform with local talent and designers, complemented by an e-commerce approach alongside pop-ups and other retail aspects to offer something truly valuable to the market today,” she said.

“It’s a rebirth of everything really and it ties in so well with my life now, with Wyatt and Kairi. Something happened in that year that I took off to just ​be​. Stopping work when you have just been going for years is harder than starting work because we get so used to the business of work. But I had to listen to my instincts to slow down and then to fully stop at one point – and after the last few years, that was just very difficult; it required a different kind of patience and courage than what I’m used to taking to the outside world.

“This is the kind you need for yourself,” she reflected. “Sometimes you just have to take a step back and listen to your inner voice; that’s what I did and in that space I found Wyatt again and now I have Kairi as part of our lives too.”

An image from the relaunch of cANYAval. Photo by Ikenna Douglas

In this new chapter of her life, Ayoung-Chee also hopes to commit more to her foundation, Together W.I. (pronounced Together We), which particularly looked at issues such as domestic violence and prison reform, among other important social issues. “I’m particularly proud of No Greater Time, a musical collaboration that brought so many artistes together and allowed us all to use our platforms and creativity towards something poignant for our country. The song featured over 35 artistes ranging from calypso legends like David Rudder, Tambu and Ella Andall, to soca artistes like Kees and Destra and up-and-coming talent like Voice and Aaron Duncan.

“Over the past decade, I’ve started ten to12 different companies and projects, some have succeeded, others didn’t. I’ve faced the scrutiny of the public and enjoyed the support of our country too. I’ve had the opportunity to connect and work with some of the brightest talent in our country, but the last year and a half has been some of the most defining moments for me. Stepping back from the public and facing myself instead, learning to move past the ego of it all and even to experience the loss of income from doing less work, I think that has really been formative for me. It was a deliberate act of sobriety and that focus on myself has been a form of cashing in on my truth and giving myself the space to find and listen to my inner voice again.”

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